TV REVIEW : THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE POOL

“Spies” is the kind of series premiere where the plot--something to do with getting back some microfilm--is upstaged by George Hamilton’s teeth.

It may not matter, for this new CBS series (8-9 tonight on Channels 2 and 8) is played strictly for giggles. And there are a few.

The spoof is on. Hamilton is Ian Stone, an extravagant, disobedient playboy-spy whose unorthodox habits simply drive his boss up a wall. Oh no! Gary Kroeger plays Stone’s nerdy partner, Ben Smythe. Stone and Smythe are paired here because, in the lexicon of TV, opposites attract ratings.

The story is so thin you won’t even notice it. Suffice to say that Stone out-suaves his nemesis, the evil Hans, in spite of the thudding presence of Smythe.

Writer/creator Jordan Moffet’s script has its moments. Stone tries to get out of a sticky situation by warning a thug that he has a gun in his shoe. “What do you take me for, some kind of idiot?” the thug asks. “Absolutely,” Stone replies.

Hamilton again finds himself swimming in deja vu , having little to do here but smile, glow and be impeccably tailored. There are jokes about Stone’s tan and wardrobe that are meant to play off Hamilton’s real-life image, and Hamilton seems comfortable with this self-parody.

“Spies” is on the edge of being very funny but, like so much of TV, it just misses hitting the button. It’s promising and its star is certainly adequate. But you find yourself wishing the writing were just a little bit funnier and the story just a little bit fatter.

What do they take us for, some kind of idiots? Absolutely.